The Stones of Mer’khal
On the plane of dust a ring of menhirs and dolmens stands undisturbed by its disintegrating dusts. No one knows who built it, the name Mer’khal coming from a lich who took it as his abode for a time before finally being destroyed, but the stones predate him. There are 7 dolmen, but between them are several standing stones, a total of 18 other stones makeup the circle and dozens more dot the landscape outside of it. Just because the stones are unaffected by the effects of the plane, doesn’t mean travelers are safe. The air here is as thin as elsewhere on the plane of dust, too thin to breathe or sustain a flame, but the disintegrating nature of the plane is actually magnified within 1000-ft of the stones. Instead of its normal damage of 2d6 per 10 minutes (Fort DC 10 +2 per previous save halves), the disintegration deals 2d6 per round. As always should the damage from this effect reduce a creature to 0 or less hp they are disintegrated as if by the disintegrate spell and the damage from this effect cannot be healed while on the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Dust unless the recipient is under the effects of Protection from Negative Energy, Attune Form, Death Ward, or an Avoid planar effects spell, in the area of a Consecrate spell, or by first receiving a spell from the Restoration line which allows healing to function for 1 minute. As this is damage is augmented beyond the normal nature of the plane Attune Form and Avoid Planar Effects have no effect on the damage within the Stones of Mer’khal. One difficulty of the plane is removed, or at least changed, near the Stones of Mer'khal. Within 1000-ft of the center of the stones there is ground and gravity of a sorts. It pulls so that the stones are upright atop the thick silt-like dust that forms a clod in the expansive waste. This is treated as Light Gravity and is directed towards the surface of the hemisphere shaped clod of dust which stretches a total of 1000-ft in all directions; this gravity only extends 80-ft up from the stones the surface on the top and fades 10-ft of the edge of the ground on the bottom or sides. The stones are also filled with many of Dust’s “Cobwebs” (lattices of dust mixed with negative energy. These cobwebs are difficult to see (requiring a DC 20 Spot check to notice). A creature that moves into a cobweb must make a Reflex save (DC 20) or be trapped. Once trapped it is almost impossible to escape, as the cobwebs hold fast and are all but indestructible. A Disintegrate spell, Heal spell, or a single attack dealing at least 60 damage (positive energy deals double damage to cobwebs, but negative energy deals no damage) will destroy a 5-ft section of the cobwebs, although either is dangerous having a 50% chance of hitting a creature trapped in that section. A creature trapped in the cobwebs takes 10 negative energy damage per round, and must make a DC 15 (+2 per previous save) Fort save each round or take 3d10 damage from disintegration (as always should this reduce the target to 0 hp they are disintegrated completely). Finally for every minute trapped in the cobweb roll 1d8 and consult the table below; this is a negative energy effect. Roll Effect/roll 1 2 Str drain 2 2 Dex drain 3 2 Con drain 4 2 Int drain 5 2 Wis drain 6 2 Cha drain 7 1 negative level (DC 15 to regain level) 8 Ages 10 years A successful Escape Artist check (DC 25) allows escape. A Deathward or Protection from Negative Energy spell active on the trapped creature disrupts the negative energy nature of the cobwebs giving such a creature a +10 on their Escape Artist checks to escape and reducing the damage that needs to be dealt to the web in a single attack to 20. The purpose of the stones is unknown to even sages; they simply have existed possibly for as long as Dust. What is known is that there is a nexus of magical energy at the center, which Mer’khal tapped into to turn himself from a lich into a unique creature known as a dust lich, and which is somehow tied to the Negative Energy Plane. In addition each of the dolmens is a gateway to another plane. While the exact location on that plane is variable, the destination plane is always the same. Each gate generally leads somewhere hard to access through normal means on the planes that they connect to. These gates are: The Elemental Plane of Earth The Quasi-Elemental Plane of Mineral The Negative Energy Plane The Quasi-Elemental Plane of Vacuum The Grey Wastes of Hades Pandemonium The Prime. The stones also serve as a congregating place of native quasi-elementals and mephitis. Finally a group of rebellious dao have made their base within the menhir, using its portal to Earth and Mineral to launch assaults on their kin that remain loyal to the Great Khan. These rebels are led by Temjular who has declared himself the new Khan of all dao. Like their loyal kin, these dao are rampant slavers and seem to have dealings with a strange race of spider-like aberrations called the neogi. Category:Locations on the Quasi-Elemental Plane of Dust